The present invention relates in general to information handling systems, and in particular, to the electronic delivery of access to prepaid telecommunication services.
The use of prepaid telephone cards to access telecommunication services is becoming increasingly popular. The cards are typically sold in denominational amounts, and permit the purchaser to use telecommunication services, in the aggregate, up to the prepaid denominational amount.
The purchaser accesses telecommunication services provided by the issuer of the card by dialing a telephone number provided on the card. Additionally, each card bears a personal identification number (PIN) that the user enters in order to authorize access, and that is used by the issuer of the card to debit a corresponding account by the value of the telephone services used on each access. (Although described herein in terms of an issuer that is also the service provider, the card issuer and provider need not be the same entity. The issuer may contract with a third-party telephone service provider to provide the services accessed by the user of the card.)
There are risks and inconveniences associated with the physical card. Vendors of the cards must purchase the cards in bulk from the issuer, and, hence, provide for secure storage and handling of the cards prior to their resale. Moreover, the cards are small and thus easily subject to theft. From the perspective of the user, the imprinted PIN on the card grants the holder access to xe2x80x9cbankedxe2x80x9d telephone service resources, and thus there is a risk to him or her associated with loss of the card. Additionally, inconvenience arises if a purchaser is seeking to acquire prepaid service on behalf of a third-party beneficiary. The purchaser first must go to a vendor and obtain the physical card, and then transfer the card to the third-party. For example, a parent might wish to acquire prepaid telephone services for a student living away from home, in lieu of sending the student an equivalent amount in cash. The card has to be acquired and then mailed to the student, and then when the card is exhausted, repeat the process.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a mechanism to distribute access to prepaid telecommunication services that reduces the exposure to loss, and reduces the handling and storage burden associated with physical cards. Additionally, there is a need for a distribution mechanism that facilitates the purchase of prepaid telecommunication services for a third-party beneficiary.
The aforementioned needs are addressed by the present invention.
Accordingly there is provided an apparatus for delivery of prepaid telephone services and method therefor in which in substantially real time after a request for such services is submitted by a purchaser, the request is processed, a PIN number is issued for that particular service, and the prepaid communication service is accessible. As used herein, xe2x80x9csubstantially real timexe2x80x9d reflects the inherent and latent delays caused by the transmission media. There is further provided an apparatus and method for transmitting the PIN number to the purchaser or a third party recipient for whom the request for services was made. This transmittal includes incorporating the PIN number in an electronic mail message (for sending on a data processing network such as the Internet).
The present invention has an advantage of allowing a purchaser to purchase the service using an interface, such as a computer terminal, a kiosk, or a ATM machine, to submit the request. Such an interface can allow the request to be made by utilizing the World Wide Web. By incorporating these in such interface, the present invention allows the recipient to have substantially real time access to such services, as opposed to the prior art. Such access includes the ability to use the PIN number by a telephone or other telecommunication medium wholly independent of the interface.
The present invention further has an advantage of alleviating the need for physical cards with unique PIN numbers to be maintained, which physical cards are subject to shrinkage due to theft or loss. Because the purchase price for the service includes the recovery cost due to this shrinkage problem, the overall cost to purchase these services should be reduced.
The present invention has a further advantage of allowing an entity to enable such service to users of its telecommunications systems without the need for the entity to pre-purchase the services. Rather, the entity will have the capability to purchase the service for its users if and when the need arises.
The present invention has a further advantage of ease of use for the purchaser. For instance, the purchaser can xe2x80x9cswipexe2x80x9d its credit card (or other payment card) in a reading device to submit request and receive its PEN number on the receipt that issues therefrom.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention.